FACE AND EYES

Although the idea of a facial may seem like pure indulgence, they are actually one of the best ways to keep skin radiant, smooth and blemish-free. So much so in fact that beauticians recommend you have a facial once a month, like clockwork.

The main benefit of a facial is that it aids the skin’s natural exfoliation process, which ensures the surface of the skin is free from dead skin cells and other debris to make room for new skin cells that keep the skin looking younger for longer.

There are many different facials to choose from these days, from the simple cleanse, exfoliate and moisturise facial to new-age facials using aromatherapy, oxygen sprays and even acupuncture.

Here’s the low down on a few of the more popular specialist facials you’ll find on the menu in a day spa:

Aromatherapy Facial – designed to balance and heal the skin as well as working to unwind the mind and relax the body. The beautician will choose an essential oil to combat the problems with your skin, such as chamomile as an anti-inflammatory for rashes, lavender to soothe stressed skin, tea tree oil for acne-prone skin, and aloe vera for dry or sunburned skin.

Like a basic facial, an aromatherapy facial has a process of cleansing, toning and exfoliating, as well as a mask to remove impurities and a relaxing acupressure massage that strokes the 14 pressure points on your face. This type of facial will leave you feeling relaxed and leave your skin looking refreshed, clear and revitalised.

Oxygen Revitaliser – works to put life back into your face that toxins such as car fumes, cigarette smoke and sunshine take away. Skin is a respiratory organ so as it takes in oxygen the cells feed off it improving the skin’s health and the blood circulation. An oxygen-based facial gives the skin cells a boost of oxygen to temporarily increase circulation and give the skin a rosy glow. Over time this improved circulation will stimulate the shedding of dead skin cells making the face healthier, cleaner and smoother.

This type of facial usually involves deep cleansing, steaming, exfoliation and a detoxifying routine that draws out impurities, after which your face is sprayed with a special oxygen substance and left on for 20 minutes before being massaged into the skin.

Sea Treatment – a relatively new facial but one that is proving hugely popular across the UK is the sea treatment, which involves covering the face with nutrient-rich algae, kelp and seaweed. It may not sound like much fun but these natural products are rich in vitamins A, B, C, D, K, iron and magnesium that help to detoxify and moisturise the skin.

A sea facial will leave skin looking radiant and revitalised, as well as helping the skin to hold moisture better. A facial of this kind usually starts with the basic routine followed by a seaweed or algae mask, which is left on the skin for up to 10 minutes.

If you have fine lines or dark circles around the eyes then maybe it’s time you splashed out on a specialist eye treatment at a beauty salon near you. Among the most popular eye treatments is the collagen eye mask, which involves putting cooling collagen gel around the delicate eye area to smooth away fine lines and reduce the look of dark cirlces to lessen the signs of ageing.

In many cases an eye treatment will be involved in the facial process with specially cooling pads being left over the eyes while the facemask is in place. However, you should check with the beautician if this is the case when you make the appointment. If not you will have to make a separate appointment for an eye treatment.